Cranbrook, I believe in you

By Stan Chung Op-Ed Commentary Cranbrook, I believe in you. I believe we can become Canada’s most intergenerational small city. We already have the foundation....

Home » Cranbrook, I believe in you By Stan Chung Op-Ed Commentary I believe we can become Canada’s most intergenerational small city. We already have the foundation.

Families have lived here for generations, and newcomers continue to choose Cranbrook as the place to build their lives. We have learned from the generosity and leadership of the Ktunaxa people, whose relationship with this land reminds us that healthy communities are built across generations. We have the Community Forest, Idlewild Park, our pool, our rinks, our library, schools, trails, Key City Theatre, volunteers, small businesses, and a downtown that feels one chapter away from becoming the heart of everyday community life.

What we need now is a nudge. Not a bigger vision. A clearer one.

What if Cranbrook became known as Canada’s most intergenerational small city? Imagine a place where it is normal to see grandparents walking grandchildren to the library. Parents coaching baseball while grandparents cheer from the stands.

Teenagers stopping to talk with neighbours they have known since childhood. Older adults remaining part of everyday life because they are close enough to share it. That is not nostalgia.

It is one of the strongest foundations a community can have. Around the world, Wales asks public institutions to consider the well-being of future generations when making decisions. Indigenous peoples have carried that responsibility for centuries.

At ?aq’am, I have seen families held together by land, culture, language, and kinship. Those relationships are a practical reminder that communities are strongest when generations remain connected. That changes how we think about almost everything.

Housing helps families stay close enough to share everyday life. Walkable neighbourhoods let an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old move safely through the same streets. Trees are planted for people we may never meet.

Parks, libraries, recreation, arts and culture, trails, and public spaces become places where generations naturally spend time together. Our greatest economic advantage is not simply what we build. It is how we live together.

Communities where generations know one another are more resilient. They retain young families, attract skilled workers, support local businesses, and create the volunteers, mentors, coaches, caregivers, artists, and entrepreneurs who make a place flourish. People choose to build their lives where life is rich across generations.

Every important decision can be tested with one question. Will this help generations live well together? Cranbrook does not need to become Canada’s biggest small city.

It can become one of its most admired. A place where generations know one another. A place where families choose to stay.

A place where every generation leaves the next with a richer inheritance than the one before. That is the Cranbrook I believe in. e-KNOW file photo – Stan Chung, PhD is a Cranbrook resident.

Stan is a writer, strategic advisor, and speaker. He is a 2026 Governor General’s laureate.